Oh my goodness! Oh my gracious! What a beautiful bunch of smiling faces! It’s wonderful to see you again my long lost Earthen friends … Your faces have changed yet your hearts remain to remind me that life is one great game. So we’ll play shall we? We’ll heave these old walls full of giggles and gags, and watch them explode with joy! Yes there are stories to tell and songs to be sung, all in the name of some old fashioned fun, all in the name of the youth and the young…. Yes we are here to celebrate the children, to big ups the kids, to tautoko the tamariki, we are here to shout from the rooftops loud and clear so the whole world can hear, that KIDS ARE TOTALLY AWESOME!

*

Well now perhaps I should begin by introducing myself. I am, I am….. I am a babbling brook that leads to a creek which feeds a stream that falls into a river which winds and whirls it’s way to the sea. I am the Pohutakawa tree that stands at the waters edge and reaches out for a salty kiss. I am a warm fire on a moonlit beach. I am a windswept feather which has forgotten how to fly, I am a bright night sky. I am all I am, no more nor less than any other, for all life is sacred, each one of us divine, fumbling our way along the trail on this adventure of a lifetime! But if you wish to call me by my name, then you can call me Kindle.

*

Oh, and if I seem a little strange to you that’s probably because I’m not from Earth….. I have journeyed from a far away place, yes I have come from outer space! I’ve journeyed from a distant star, where all the other dreamers are. Where dreams come true, and so do you live your wish fulfilled. With a wee flick of the will, and a flurry of imagination, you create the kind of world you would like to live in.

*

Where I come from we don’t use space ships, space ships are such a hassle. To get here I caught a ride on a comet, I went zooming through clouds of colourful space dust, I saw new stars in the making and old ones exploding. I side stepped entire galaxies and tip toed through the milky way, Yes I have crossed the cosmos to be here today, all to find a fun way to say, that kids…… the Universe needs you! I have been sent to Earth to deliver you a message. Children of Earth, you have been assigned a very important mission…..

*

As you all know, the vast majority of people are taking life far too seriously. Reported cases of extreme seriousness are on the rise and there has been an epidemic spread of stress related illnesses. People seem to have overcomplicated everything to the point of collapse, causing bad moods and mind made burdens which no one should have to carry. Their focus is on finances, figures and sums, and just about anything that isn’t much fun. You can almost hear life yawning with boredom.

*

People everywhere are making themselves sick with worry and it is my duty to tell you that they are in danger of worrying their lives away. It seems many of them have forgotten the golden rule, ‘If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right’. And so comes a change. It is up to you, the children, you masters of the art of having fun, to save the world from dying of boredom. This is your mission. You must teach us your ways, oh wise ones, remind us how to laugh and play, relieve the world of stress and tension, lead us into the playgrounds of life where we shall worry and fret no more!!!

*

You know, Kids are full of bright ideas. Some of the wisest people I have met since I arrived here on Earth have been young children. On my home star we have a saying that “sometimes the littlest voice is the one worth listening to”. We believe there is wisdom in the ways of the child and so we often ask our children for their view and opinion. Where I come from both young and old and everyone in between work together to create our local community. If you’d like to catch a ride on a comet someday you could come and see for yourself, the kids turned our village into a wonderland!

*

And yes that tale is getting a little tall, but all I’m saying is that kids are cool, and they have a valuable contribution to make, especially when a little imagination is required. Kids are the imagination experts. And if you want something done well, ask the experts. Of course it’s not just young people who have great imaginations, some of the silliest most ridiculously fun people I know are grown ups, and believe it or not, no matter how old they keep getting, they were a child once too. And that is why it is the child in all of us who has been chosen for such an important mission. It seems that day by day more and more people are forgetting how to enjoy life, and it is up to you, the children of Earth, to save the world from dying of boredom.

*

Just imagine what things might be like if we allowed children to re-create our communities. What a magical play ground this world might be! And it is so tempting to begin sharing my own ideas for how I think we might go about making our world a little more wonderful to be in, but you kids are the clever ones, you’re the experts remember, you come up with the great ideas. Who knows what solutions kids can come up with? Mozart, one of the most famous musicians of all time, was only 5 years old when he first began composing his own music. Edward VI was king of England and Ireland at the age of 9! Imagine a 9 year old in charge of New Zealand! It would be absolute madness! But my point is that young people are capable of extraordinary things. You are never too young to create a masterpiece. You might come up with the next great idea that will change the world!

*

So speak up young ones, tell us your great ideas! Show us your masterpiece. We want to know what kind of world you would like to live in. Start sharing your brilliant ideas, bright and beautiful as they’re sure to be. Let your imaginations work their magic, come up with a great idea for your community and paint it, draw it, write about it, sing about it, create a piece of art so that the whole world can see that sometimes the littlest voice is the one worth listening to.

*

And so, we have gathered here today to call upon the child in all of us. Just imagine a world without kids! What a horrible place it would be without children to tickle our imaginations and keep us on our toes. So I wish you all success on your quest to save the world from dying of boredom! We will be watching from my home planet to make sure the mission goes well.

*

I’d like to thank you all for being here today, You extraordinary children are the super heroes of our time! Your lives are like a waterfall splashing on weary heads. You wonderful, fun love-able, super cool streaks of awesomeness, I send you a thousand thank you’s. Thank you for taking each day and turning it into a game. Thank you for the laughter which rings out across the school fields, reaching into the lives of those who have forgotten how to laugh. So the next time someone forgets to treat you like the sacred treasure you are, remind them that you are the bearers of our future, that you bring untold gifts to offer the world, that you are a living, breathing, human being and you deserve to be heard. And above all, make sure everyone knows that KIDS ARE TOTALLY AWESOME!